Late Nights and Early Mornings
by Yijasha
Summary: A one shot College AU from Emma's perspective. Rating is T due to there being some suggestive themes but nothing too explicit. Paring is Nemma or Nomma. Story is fluffy fluff. I do not own total drama anything.


**This is a one shot College AU from Emma's perspective. Rating is T due to there being some suggestive themes but nothing too explicit. Paring is Nemma/Nomma and this took me way too long to type and edit (a two whole weeks!).**

 **I love Nemma. I really hope the relationship works out between them. They're just really sweet to each other and it's adorable. That doesn't mean I automatically hate all other Noah parings. You can ship who you want. We should all be friends here.**

 **Another writer on FF beta'd for me and they are thanked at the bottom.**

 **Warning:**

 **Story contains all the fluff and predictable plot points I could conceive. But hey! It is a long one shot story right? Doesn't that count for anything? (Yes, I know if a story is long it does not equal good [get off my back]) Also, I really hoped I kept them in character. Noah's a complicated person (character) so I hope I at least did him justice.**

* * *

Usually I am a tidy and well organized person. I have approximately four hours to prepare each morning which allows for my laundry to get done, while simultaneously brewing my coffee and getting ready for my school day. My first class (Introduction to International Law) doesn't begin until 10:00am, so getting up at 6am shouldn't be so strange. Though my sister/roommate's cries of desperation that I not get up at, as she puts it "An, like, insanely early hour," _do_ get to me sometimes. Enabling me to potentially believe that the habit is in fact strange.

I was running late that morning. After nearly pulling an all-nighter in order to make sure that I knew and understood the Laws of the Sea Convention's main concepts and principles of environmental protection backwards and forwards for my upcoming exam, I slept through my alarms. I lucked out that my sister realized I hadn't left yet and had the common sense to wake me so I could make it to my first class with minutes to spare. I had been in such a rush I had even forgotten to bring a pencil! Lacking the ability to take notes forced me to spend extra effort to commit my teacher's words to memory so that I could write as much down as possible for later. Completely inconvenient. I mean, I'm grateful that Kitty woke me up and all, but couldn't she have woken me up a bit earlier? I probably would have remembered to bring a pencil if she had.

My day became chaotic and unorganized due to last-minute homework completions and cramming for a quiz, resulting in having to do my laundry late at night instead of the early morning I had grown accustomed to. With my laundry basket resting against my left hip, I descended into the basement of Kitty and I's apartment complex at around 10:00pm, determined to get my clothing clean before the end of the day. Upon opening the door, I saw that a set of machines had been claimed by a thinly-built, dark-skinned, and dark-eyed young man with whom I had never seen.

He sat upon the dryer with his legs crossed, nose in a book, and a contempt expression upon his face. So, naturally, I did my best to ignore his presence. Going to a machine at the opposite side of the room, I opened it up and proceeded to throw in my clothing and shift my body in a subtle way to shield him from view of my more… intimate items. He didn't seem to notice. Or care. It wasn't until after I cranked the settings knob and the sounds of rushing water acted as a catalyst that the young man seemed to take notice of me.

I had heard a low coughing sound from his section of the room, naturally leading me to inspect the source of the sound. Those dark eyes landed on mine and we stared at one another for a few moments before I coughed awkwardly and looked away. I grabbed the notebook I had brought down with me and began to study it intensely while I waited for the cycle to finish. Those minutes felt like hours as I desperately tried to forget the sensation of meeting his gaze just moments before, and focus instead on my studies.

The dryer he was on top of made a low dinging noise, indicating that the clothing had finished the cycle. I watched him from the corner of my eye as he gracefully slid off of the machine, grabbed his own laundry basket (which had been resting on the washer next to him), and proceeded to collect his clothes. He left without exchanging a word or a second glance to me.

I thought the incident so strange and so despondent that I vowed never to do laundry that late again.

Without incident, I returned to my normal schedule, determined to not sleep past my numerous alarms once again. It was still rather early in the fall semester and I did not want to develop bad habits this soon in. For a couple of weeks it went well and everything stayed normal, though I sometimes found my thoughts drifting to the stranger in the basement. Sometimes I'd stay up too late thinking of those deep, dark, brown eyes, and other times I'd find myself daydreaming of that rather attractive body of his during my classes. When I caught myself doing that I'd shake it off, upset with myself that I'd allow thoughts of a boy to distract me from my education. I'd lecture at myself mentally, something along the lines of, "You are in school Emma, can't afford to focus on anything but getting that law degree," and move along.

I was in my third week after my sleeping incident when it happened. It was a Friday night and Kitty once again wanted to go partying. Initially, she tried to make it seem like no big deal—just an innocent little party that I immediately said no to going. Then, she huffed around our space for the rest of the day in an ineffective attempt to make me feel guilty about my decision. Later in the evening, Kitty had grabbed a glass of veggie juice and walked into my room in order to have one final attempt to convince me to go with her to the stupid sorority party that wasn't too far away. Naturally, my decision on this had not wavered in the previous hours, and I once again refused, stating "Kitty, I'm not into that kind of thing like you are. I have to focus all of my energy on my schooling to get my degree. I'm sorry I'm not much fun right now, but this needs to be taken seriously."

"This isn't just about me, Emma!" She nearly screamed, her hands grasping my shoulders tight as she looked me dead in the eye and uttered sincerely, "I'm so tired of you staying home and studying all the time. Please, just come with me, you have got to get out more!" Her bone crushing hold became a rib cracking hug. "You need to go out and talk to people! Maybe you'll get lucky and get over Jake and just meet a cute boy." This of course, put me on the defensive. I shoved her away angrily.

"Dammit, I am over Jake, alright? Stop bringing him into these arguments! I just don't want to get distracted from school and loose everything that I've been working for." I growled.

Kitty, in a fit of limb-flailing rage, knocked into the nightstand and spilled her bright red vegetable juice all over my comforter and sheets.

"Kitty!" I screamed, frustration leaking into my tone. "Please, just leave me alone! I do not want to go—I need to study and you've ruined my bedding!" My slender eyes narrowed at her as I turned from my desk to stand. "You've done enough. Get out." I growled, pointing at my bedroom door before I paused, considering the impact of my words and quickly adding a soft, "please" in an inane attempt to soften the blow.

She huffed with barely-concealed tears before turning and practically running out of my room, slamming my door shut behind her. I surveyed the damage before uttering a quiet, "I wonder why she joined the drama club." Feeling slightly guilty, I cleaned up what I could of the mess and proceeded to leave the confines of my room to check on my sister's well being. I soon found that her favorite jacket and purse were gone and the front door was left slightly open, as though someone had left in a hurry. Concluding she had left for the party, I quickly grabbed my keys, gathered my bedding, locked the front door behind me, and made way for the laundry basement.

He was there again: the boy I had seen here a few weeks ago, the boy I sometimes found myself relentlessly thinking about, the boy I'd only seen once and had tried to never have to see again. He was sitting in the same place, in the same position, reading a different book. I hesitated before choosing to go to the washer I use every morning (which was sitting no less than eight feet away from him) instead of the one I used last time (one that was across the room.) I opened the washer and dumped in the comforter and sheet, knowing it wasn't the best thing for the machine but not wanting to be down here any longer than necessary, before paying and pressing the start button.

I could feel his gaze on me when the sound of the water started again. I quickly realized my mistake in forgetting to bring something to study or entertain myself with and blushed lightly at my own stupidity, before I turned from the machine to meet his eyes. They were the same color I remembered them being, but at this close range, I could see that there was a depth to them that I hadn't caught before. A few seconds passed by before I realized I was staring, so I averted my gaze slightly and took a seat on top of my own dryer, fiddling with my thumbs for a few seconds before deciding to speak.

"Seeing you down here again, what a coincidence." I smirked lifting my gaze to meet his, kicking my legs out to cross them. "Do you ever leave?"

He blinked in surprise before closing his book and resting it on his lap. His face contorted into a smirking grin. "That's like asking your neighbor while they're mowing their grass, 'live here often?'" He stated in a deadpan, know-it-all voice.

I felt my eyes go wide as a smile took over my face. "You're right." I paused, thinking over my next response but not coming up with anything suitable before settling for a simple, "Good one." An awful awkward silence fell between us. I looked towards the ceiling for a moment coughing lightly and I swear I heard a faint, "Act normal," being uttered from my acquaintance's lips, but I couldn't be sure.

"Sooooo," he drawled out with his deadpan voice, capturing my attention and looking at me with that same smirk. "Live here often?"

I chuckled before responding in a soft, sigh like manner, "Yeah," before I shook my head, trying to shake off this gushy feeling. "I typically do my laundry at six in the morning, but this couldn't wait." I stated, gesturing to the machine beneath me.

"Am I a witness to a mob crime? Trying to get rid of the evidence?"

I blinked in surprise at that. I had thought he hadn't been paying attention when I came into the room, much less enough to notice the bright red stains on my sheets. "If murder consists of ground up, liquidated vegetables then damn; you caught me." I responded while crossing my arms, wearing my own smirk as I thought I had one-upped him.

"Fortunately for you, I am not an eco-activist." He responded fluidly, without a second of thought. "Your secret's safe with me." He finished, winking.

Fully smiling now, I placed my right hand over my heart, batted my eyes at him and said flirtatiously, "My, such a gentlemen!" I initially expected him to be quick to respond, but I began to worry when his rebuttal failed to show. He seemed frozen: eyes glazed and wide, mouth upturned in almost an expression of awed shock.

Looking around the room nervously, I briefly debated my options when I heard a faint, "Noah," sounding almost like a sigh. I returned my gaze back to him with a puzzled expression, unsure if I had heard him correctly. "My name," he smiled, teeth and all, "my name is Noah." He repeated confidently.

"Emma." I responded while running my fingers through my long, black hair.

He opened his mouth, looking like he was about to say something, when he was interrupted by the dinging of his dryer. Sighing, he slid off of the top in the same graceful manner as the last time. His expression grew more and more frustrated looking while he grabbed his clothes. I was about to ask him if he was okay when he turned to me, laundry basket tucked against his chest. "I'll see you around?" He asked with a hopeful expression.

"Well, duh!" I responded with a grin. "I _do_ live here often, after all."

I watched him scoff and roll his eyes before he muttered a soft, "What a lame attempt to rehash our conversation, Emma."

I huffed in fake anger, crossing my arms again before responding, "It's not like _you_ were making any effort" and quickly looking away.

He laughed as he walked towards the bricked doorway calling back, "So that's what effort looks like, I had _no_ idea" right before he walked up the stairs and left.

I didn't get back into my apartment until about an hour later. Jiggling the keys in the lock and entering our complex, I found that everything inside was in the exact same way as I left it. Kitty was still out, not too surprising considering that she typically partied for _hours_ before thinking about coming home. I was concerned about our argument possibly having a negative effect on Kitty's judgement. She was a smart girl and all but she could get far too emotional. Racing to the kitchen, I grabbed my cell from the counter and dialed her phone number. It rang three times before going to voicemail. I didn't bother to leave a message since it was obvious she didn't want to talk, and swiftly hung up. Almost instantaneously, I received three selfie shots of her and various party guests, each smiling, big eyed, and pink in the face. Definitely intoxicated. I was _so_ not wanting to look after Kitty tonight and really hoped that she wouldn't overdo it. Again. Then, I received a poorly spelled text message from her saying she was fine and that I should "not worry about her and just do the boring stuff you just have to do," finishing the message stating that she was spending the night with a red haired girl named Zoey, whom I heard of often.

Some of my older sister fears subsided. Kitty was being watched by a good friend which meant I could go to sleep without any interruptions. As I prepared for bed that night, I had caught my gaze and my thoughts drifting. Every time I glanced at my now clean bedding, I found myself thinking about Noah. I just knew that we'd clicked during our conversation. We got along easily, if one conversation was enough to go on, and I felt as though we could become good friends. One of my final thoughts before I lost consciousness that night was about how I didn't even have to go to Kitty's party to meet a cute boy.

I found myself staring at my pile of laundry for the day, contemplating my options. Upon waking, I began to grab Kitty and I's various towels and clothes when I came to the realization that seeing Noah both times I went to do laundry around 10pm probably meant that he did his laundry around that time most nights. If I really wanted to talk to him again, I would need to adapt and get my laundry done in the evenings. The question was if I really _did_ want to talk to him. Sure, he seemed smart and he had a funny streak, but I could not afford something potentially developing between us. I needed to focus on school and boys would just be an unnecessary distraction. The fear that he could end up like Jake made me hesitate and start my thinking process all over again.

I ended up doing everything but the laundry that Saturday. I washed all the dishes, cleaned every nook and cranny of our apartment except for Kitty's room, which I was getting really tempted to clean. I was dusting our T.V when she walked into the apartment just after lunch time, pigtails un-brushed, eyes bloodshot, and carrying a half empty takeout bag. Upon seeing me, Kitty's eyes went wide and she dropped her bag abruptly, racing over to me and stumbling all over the place. She nearly tripped three separate times before she latched onto my arm with a smile so wide I was surprised it hadn't broken her face.

I sighed at her eccentric behavior, waiting for an opening between the seemingly relentless streams of giggles. After a few moments, I was unable to wait any longer. I firmly placed my palm on top of her mouth in an attempt to muffle the noise before calmly asking, "What is it Kitty?" With an exasperated tone. She proceeded to giggle even harder before breaking free of my grip, wrapping her arms around my torso and squeezing _really_ hard. "Kit!" I gasped.

"I'm just so happy!" She exclaimed as she released me from her hug and held me at arm's length. "What happened last night?"

Flabbergasted, I took a step backwards and stuttered out a loud, "W-what? Kitty!" before pushing her just a little bit further away, wanting more personal space. "What makes you think something happened last night? Nothing happened last night!" My cheeks flushed as my mind betrayed me and brought forth a mental image of Noah sitting on the dryer, book open in his hand, brown eyes so warm and...

"I knew it," Kitty squealed high enough that I bet she could have communicated with dolphins. "Something _did_ happen last night! OMG Emma! Did you meet a boy?" She looked at me expectantly.

Noah's image briefly tried to infiltrate my mind again, but I was ready this time. I shook my head to scatter the image. "No, Kitty, nothing happened last night!" I quickly discredited, shaking my hands at her and attempting to grab her wrists to try to calm her down.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" She cried happily before she yanked her hands out of mine, jumping up and down with joy. "You are such a liar! You know I have a super sensitive love detector! Something had to happen last night for this big of a change! Oh, Emma-"

"Love detectors do not exist." I growled out in response as I threw down my duster and stomped towards my room.

"Emma, wait!" She exclaimed, grabbing my bicep and tugging me towards her. "I'm just super happy for you. Please don't run away from me!"

With my left hand resting on the handle of my door, I turned to look at Kitty as I sighed. "Nothing happened, okay? I went to do laundry last night after you left. There was a guy down there and we talked and then proceeded to our own lives." I closed my eyes for a moment. "Nothing happened." I concluded, tone too despondent-sounding for my liking and opening my eyes to look at her glossy eyed, gooey expression.

"Oh, Emma! You really liked him, didn't you?" She asked sympathetically.

"I don't know!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms up into the air in agitation, getting annoyed with my sister's badgering and deciding that I would not being doing laundry at 10pm anymore. Just to avoid… whatever this was. "I just met the guy!"

"You should totally talk to him again-"

"No. No! Absolutely not."

"But Emma!" She whined

"I need to focus on school. No boys, Noah distractions-" I gasped, realizing my verbal error. "Zero. I meant zero distractions." I corrected swiftly, reaching for my room's door handle.

"Did- did you just say Noah?" Kitty asked with a slightly confused (but mostly hopeful) expression.

"Zip it!"

"You know," she began, barely concealing her giggling. "Denial isn't just-"

"I said ZIP IT!" I commanded firmly before retreating into my room and locking the door behind me. A wave of exhaustion overcame me, consuming my thoughts with the enticing prospect of an afternoon nap. I reasoned that cleaning my entire apartment had drained a lot of my energy, and it hadn't been until Kitty's emotionally draining conversation that I finally felt it. I stumbled short distance to my bed before face planting into the mattress and giving into the comforting warmth.

My sister's laughter from the next room over pulled me out of my dreams. I groaned as I pulled myself from my drool-laced pillows, joints cracking from lack of movement. Stretching, I looked at the time only to scoff at myself in disappointment when I saw that I had been napping for almost four hours. It was going to be extremely difficult to go to bed at a decent time tonight, as if it wasn't already hard enough without thoughts of my basement dweller keeping my brain too active. I hesitatingly left my room, wary of another possible interaction with my sister containing more squealing, more bone crushing hugs, and more questions that I do not want to answer. My feet slid silently against the hard wood floor as I made my way towards the kitchen, determined to make myself a snack without making my presence known. Initially, I thought I had been successful, since Kitty had yet to call out to me, and was half way into the refrigerator when I heard her call out from the adjacent living room, "Hey Emma, when you're done pretending you're still in your room napping, I have some leftovers from dinner if you want them. I made spaghetti."

Accepting my fate I grabbed the cold spaghetti, unwrapped it, and heated it to a suitable temperature for consumption. I snatched a fork before I proceeding to the living room, mentally preparing myself for whatever torture Kitty had been planning for me as I slept. She said nothing as I took a seat on the couch next to her and turned my attentions to the show she had been watching. The lone sound of Chris McLean's voice echoed throughout our apartment. Every now and then, Kitty's brief reaction to a humorous remark would color the uncomfortable silence before she would go quiet once again. The longer this drew out, the more concerned I grew. Kitty was naturally good at many things, but being considerate, quiet, and respectful were not necessarily her strong suits. This led me to believe something that I have proven time and time again as we were growing up: Kitty wanted something.

I refused to be the first one to speak. If Kitty wanted something from me then I would not instigate it. So many times I accidentally have started the conversation and had regretted it almost instantly. I would not give her a way to weasel whatever she wanted into a conversation again. She had to breach the subject on her own. She began slowly, twiddling her thumbs nervously, testing the waters. "So, did you have any plans tonight?" She asked slowly, like someone trying not to frighten a scared animal.

I flushed when I realized my only plans had been doing the laundry in hopes of seeing Noah again. "Not really, no."

She began to practically glow with excitement. "Cool! So, would you like to go to a party with me?" She asked, eyes wide and enthusiasm evident. "I know you said you need to focus on school and stuff but this isn't going to be a big party!" She hastily added when sensing my unease. "Just my friends and some of their friends! It's not gonna get wild and crazy and stuff! Just a bunch of us sitting around and hanging out." She began to look sad. "I'd love for my friends to meet my big sis." She concluded woefully before shutting up and waiting for my response.

Just before I opened my mouth, prepared to tell her "no" in as many variations as necessary, I paused. I began to think about how distracted I had been with a boy I barely knew and how pathetic it was. How, despite my best efforts, he had been occupying my thoughts far more often than I would like and it was exhausting me. These thoughts lead me to one conclusion: perhaps I needed a distraction from the distraction. I was already ahead in my classes and could afford to slack for a few days. Perhaps Kitty's party would be the distraction I desperately needed in order to once and for all remove him from my thoughts and allow me to focus on my goals. If this didn't work, then no harm done, right? Just a wasted night that I could afford to lose.

I wasn't going to go to sleep on time anyway.

"Okay." I agreed, smirking at her as I watched her jaw drop.

"What! Really?" She asked, beaming with joy. "You really want to go?"

"Yeah, I _am_ a little ahead in my classes. I can afford a night to hang." I responded nonchalantly before I felt the air rush out of my lungs and found myself in a grueling bear hug. "Kitty!" I gasped out.

"OMG I'm so excited! I haven't gotten to hang out with you at a party in so long!" She squealed before letting me go and pulling me close enough to get a selfie of us. A flash of light occurred before a clicking sound and temporary blindness. "Oh, we're going to have so much fun, Emma! Come on! We need to get ready, like, ASAP!" She exclaimed as she got up from the couch and pulled me up with her. "It's gonna start in less than an hour so we don't have much time." She said while she pushed me towards the bathroom.

I was already regretting my decision.

All I can really say about the experience is that Kitty moves really quickly when she's inspired. Of the hour we spent together getting ready, my memories only consist of swirls of color from moving _way_ too fast, painful hair tugging, and loud arguments over what I should wear. Our opinions clashed and our wills became obstinate. I was perfectly content wearing my favorite red cardigan and black leggings, opting for the comfortable option. Kitty was adamant on the idea of me going in her dark purple, sparkle-covered and off-the-shoulder party top with white capris pants. We argued back and forth for far longer than we should have before a compromise became necessary though I didn't understand why; It was my body wearing the clothes in question, not hers. Still, I agreed to wear her top as long as I could wear my leggings.

I ended up driving us because Kitty is an absolutely life-flashing-before-your-eyes kind of terrifying driver; about 80% of the time due to the fact that she does _not_ like to be off of her phone for more than five minutes. I did not feel like letting her drive and adding that to my growing list of regrets for the night. The car slid to a smooth stop in front of a bi-level suburban home with all of its lights on and at least fifteen cars parked in the driveway and on the street in the front yard. Kitty practically dragged me from the car to the front door of the house, giggling the whole way there. It was actually rather amusing to watch my sister attempt (and fail) to control her mirth as she knocked on the door.

The blonde haired host was quick to let us in exclaiming out, "Dude! I'm, like, so glad to see ya here, Kitty! Bridge's gonna totally flip when she sees ya!" as he opened the door. "So Kit-Kat, who's your friend?" He asked, looking at me and squinting slightly with a mildly confused expression on his face.

"Geoff! This is Emma? My older sister, remember?" Kitty responded, sounding slightly exasperated as she placed her hands on her hips. "You've met her a few times, now." She finished as she walked into the house.

"Dude, I'm like, so sorry I didn't recognize ya, Em." Geoff quickly apologized.

"It's alright, I'd forgotten about your existence too." I replied, my voice too snarky for my liking as I followed my sister through the door and into the living room. My eyes widened as I saw that there were people everywhere—were there really enough cars to justify this many people? "Didn't you say there was only going to be a few people?" I asked, grabbing Kitty's arm frantically to alert her of her betrayal.

She laughed at me before patting my head, moving my hand down until it was grasping her own, and saying "Oh, Emma! This _is_ a small party! Now come on! Let's go get a drink!" before pulling me deeper into the crowd. Her incessant pulling caused my shoulder and hips to collide into the passerby's backs as we made our way to the kitchen. I removed her hand from mine once in the temporary safe haven—otherwise known as the kitchen—and stared at the large blond haired boy who was currently rummaging through the refrigerator, giggling all the while.

He had also captured the attentions of my sister, "Oh, hey big O! Glad you could make it!" She cheerfully greeted to the large fellow as he looked up from the refrigerator, the boney end of a chicken drumstick hanging out of his surprised-looking face.

"Oh, hi, Kitty," he giggled around a mouthful of food, "do you want some?" He asked as he pulled out a bucket filled with really old looking, barely fried chicken from the open fridge door.

Kitty's hand flew to her mouth as she turned green at the sight. "No thanks, I ate before I got here." She said kindly, attempting to hide her disgust.

He turned and looked at me expectantly, holding the bucket out in my direction in a wordless question while he continued to chew.

I could feel my stomach flip-flopping at the thought of taking another step closer to what no longer could pass as chicken. "I've already consumed one poisoning meal this week. Sorry but no, I've gotta pass."

Kitty briefly turned to glare at me before she went to the fridge door and opened it a little wider with one hand. "We just came in here to get something to drink. Can I look?" She asked Owen with a smile. Owen nodded his head enthusiastically as he began to get out of the way, holding his bucket closer to his chest. He then angled himself so Kitty could get into the fridge but so that he could continue to inspect the contents over her shoulder. Kitty then looked into the fridge with a concentrated gaze, hands on her knees and slightly bent over. "So Owen," she began as she reached deeper into the refrigerator. "Is Izzy here with you?" She asked in an attempt to make conversation, the faint sound of glass bottles clanking together as Kitty took in her options. I was beginning to remember the real reasons I hated parties: I always felt so awkward with no one to talk to and nothing to do except for stand around Kitty and act like I understand her conversations with her friends.

"Nah, she's busy working tonight. She's gotta do this big mural thingy that she's really excited about so she couldn't come." Owen said clearly—wait. Where did the bone end up?

I swiftly surveyed the room, looking for the lost bone before I stopped myself. "There are some questions that should _not_ be answered, Emma." I breathed to myself.

"Aww!" Kitty noised sympathetically. "Owen! Did you come here by yourself?" She asked before letting out a joyful whopping sound followed by the sound of two glass bottles clanking together. "Score!" She cried triumphantly as she pulled out two vodka lemonades.

"Nah, I came here with my roommate-"

"Kitty, put mine back." I growled, right eye twitching as I glared at her. "I'm not getting drunk." I stated before crossing my arms and hugging them to my chest.

"Oh come on!" Kitty sighed, annoyed. "One little drink is not gonna get you drunk!" She exclaimed as she left the space near the fridge and walked over towards my corner of the kitchen. She held out the alcohol-enhanced lemonade bottle, smiling as she did so. "Come on, big sis! It's just gonna help you relax. Even _your_ alcohol tolerance isn't _that_ low." She stated confidently as she placed the bottle in my hand and took off the top.

A despondent sigh escaped my lips as I stared into the glass, swirling the liquid inside before taking a sip. The bitter-sweet taste filled my mouth for a moment before I swallowed, leaving the alcohol's burn in its place. Maybe if I pretend to drink enough of it, Kitty will let me be in regards to the alcohol subject?

I heard the sound of Kitty's squealing once again. I was getting the feeling that I had heard it more than enough for a lifetime today. I looked up at her to see her giving one of her bone crushing hugs to a poor, lithe blonde girl while she yelled "Briiiiiidget!" in her ear.

Bridget had winced at the initial noise intrusion before a large smile took over the temporary frown. "Hey, Kitty. I haven't seen you in a while. What have you been up to?" She asked the giggling brunet encompassing her personal space.

As they launched into conversation, I stood awkwardly in the corner and realized that this was going to be a reoccurring thing. Kitty seemed to know everyone here very well and most of these people would want a word with her. After all, who wouldn't? Kitty was nice, sweet, brave… Who wouldn't want to talk to someone like her? I concluded that me coming here was a mistake. These people were very different from me; happy, optimistic partiers. I couldn't fit in here. A woeful feeling I couldn't begin to try to understand was starting to overcome me. With drink in hand I left the kitchen without a word, no longer wanting to feel like a third wheel to my little sister's life.

I walked into the extremely loud living room where a coffee table was overturned in the corner, a T.V. was playing in the background with the sound off, music was being played rather boisterously from the stereo next to the T.V., and people of all shapes and sizes were chatting with their various friends. After standing in that room for approximately ten seconds I decided that the extensive noise was beginning to give me a headache. Holding onto my drink as though it were a lifeline, I made my way past a coconut lamp and towards the sliding glass doors that led to the outside deck.

There was an in ground pool with a tarp secured to the top of it due to the fall weather. The autumn night was surprisingly warm and being in that house with all those people had made it decisively warmer. I scanned the sizable yard to see that, besides the single large tree and multiple bushes, I was blissfully alone. I made my way across the deck and down its few steps before slipping off my flats so they wouldn't get grass stained. I walked the short distance of the yard to the tarped pool, lifting it slightly to slip my feet in. The water was cool against my skin but in a refreshing way instead of an unpleasant one. I sighed out my frustrations as I kicked my feet gently in the water, placing my alcohol filled glass near me, and leaning back onto my hands that were firmly placed on the concrete surrounding the pool. I opened my eyes and stared at the few stars I could see, with no moon in the sky, trying not to think about anything. Just trying to exist only in body.

I heard a steady rhythm of grass being crushed, the sounds of someone walking towards me. I forced myself not to take notice of them desiring to remain on task. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on feeling nothing. Whoever was out here with me stopped walking and I heard nothing from them over the muted noises escaping the house.

I was beginning to think that perhaps they had gone and I hadn't heard them when a low voice called out, "Huh, I was beginning to think you were just a figment of my imagination I conjured up while waiting in the laundry room. Nice to know you actually exist."

My eyes opened wide as I gasped in surprise, turning quickly to confirm my suspicions. There he was, Noah, my basement boy. I claimed a moment to take in his appearance. He was more dressed up than the other two times I'd seen him. He had donned a teal button up shirt, black blazer and slacks. He looked good. Distractingly so. We stared into each other's eyes in wonder for a moment before I responded, "Well, no one else is out here. I wouldn't say you've properly determined the reality of my existence just yet." I smirked at him while I mentally noticed that his one sentence had made me feel better almost instantly. He smiled slightly as he raised his eyebrows in response.

We fell into another silence as we looked at each other. While I was contemplating the odds of us meeting one another in these circumstances, he approached me and sat down next to me, crossing his legs no more than three feet away.

"So… Did you lose a bet or something?" He asked in his nearly monotone voice of his, not looking at me with his dark eyes locked onto something in the distance.

"W-what? What kind of a question is that?" I asked in a tone with too much of a bite as I gestured with my left hand.

"Well, you're out here. You don't seem like the type of person who enjoys this kind of thing." He reasoned with a smug look on his face as he leaned back onto his hands and turned his gaze to the stars. He was practically a picture of ease and it was beginning to pissing me off.

"Well, neither do you." I stated releasing as much snark as I could into one sentence.

"Trust me, I'm fully aware of that." He deadpanned.

I sighed when I had realized he had won our… whatever this was. I looked at him unsure how to proceed with our conversation. I decided to just answer his question, "I told my sister, Kitty, I would come." I said with a shrug, "She's always asking me to come with her to these things. I _am_ kind of upset that she wouldn't let me bring a book or something." I concluded, my tone slightly angry from the memories of the conversation.

"I tried that tonight. Apparently, all things that require using your brain are confiscated upon entry." He stated before turning his gaze to the ground to glare at it.

"Is that why cell phones are allowed?" I asked in my best deadpan voice I could muster.

He released a soft sequence of laughter. I grabbed my drink, just in case he fell while he laughed, and stared at the stupid bottle. I suddenly realized I wanted to be more relaxed around Noah and that a way I could accomplish that was… I decided to down the lemonade while he wasn't looking. I nearly gagged at the alcohol's strong burn as I quickly choked down as much of the drink as possible. Once done, I wiped my mouth with my hand and threw the empty bottle behind us. Geoff could find it in the morning, there was no way in hell I was going to move from this spot if I could help it.

It took him a moment to calm down from his laughing. Once his breathing had returned to normal, he straightened up and smiled at me. "Good one." He complimented, eyes shining in the starlight and faded lights leaking through the blinds of the house behind us. He leaned towards me, smile widening. "It's been a while since someone's earned a chuckle out of me."

I grinned but said nothing in response, instead I leaned towards him. We looked at each other like that for a few minutes before I realized that we had been slowly increasing our leaning which had been making us get closer and closer. I immediately pulled back, blood pooling in my face from both embarrassment and intoxication. I coughed awkwardly and asked, "So what about you? Did you lose a bet?"

For a moment his face held an intense frown, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. "Owen needed someone to drive him; he has his license but he he's a terrible driver." He paused. "Well, that's what I think his actual reason was. The reason he asked me was because Izzy couldn't go and he saw this as potential 'quality guy time'." He scoffed and crossed his arms. "Because that's exactly what we're doing right now."

I jumped up in excitement at that, "I know right? Kitty wanted me here for some quality time too but all she was doing in there was catching up with her friends." I related, excited that we had something in common besides sarcasm and sense of humor. I paused for a moment connecting the dots, "Owen? Like, super… Eh, blonde. Has a big appetite?" I asked.

"The guy who's food demand and size is equal to that of a small country? Yep that's Owen." He confirmed before we fell into another silence. A loud crash sounded from the house followed by the sounds of a crowd cheering which then evolved into a crowd chanting. They were either chanting "chug" or "rug" I wasn't entirely sure. But I had a suspicion I knew which one it was. I thought Kitty said that this party wasn't going to get too crazy? I could feel myself glaring at the back doors.

As though sensing my disdain Noah remarked, "The people in that house are boisterous, loud, intoxicated, sweaty, bundles of hormones wrapped in flesh that lack the proper ability to use their brains." He sighed as he glared back to the house. "I often feel like an adult among children."

I began to giggle as I turned my sights onto him, swaying closer as I whispered, "Get used to it."

"What do you think I've been doing for the past 22 years of my life?" He asked before he rolled his eyes away from the house and towards me. When our gazes locked he blinked and looked surprised for a moment at our closeness like a deer in headlights.

"I'd guess you were spending it being a snarky know-it-all…" I placed my hands onto the concrete between us and leaning as close as I dared. "Did I guess right?" I said breathily.

He didn't move for a few minutes but I didn't mind. I stared into his eyes in the meantime, memorizing the pattern of them for later recall. I was starting to get used to his silences and freeze-ups whenever I did something like this, so I waited patiently for his brain to catch up. A grin formed on his face slowly as he opened his mouth to retort. "Takes one to know one."

I was fed up and done with the flirting, steeling my tipsy nerves I grabbed his biceps and leaned forward to kiss him senseless. Unluckily for me, intoxication has always impeded my balance first. Every. Time. This time was no exception. As I leaned in, I swayed too far and began to lose my balance, letting out a short yelp as I began to fall into the pool pulling Noah in with me. The pool's protective tarp curled around us as the water rushed in to cover our bodies. I flailed around in the water for a few moments before Noah grabbed my shoulders and pulled my head above the water.

"Emma!" He cried out worried looking me over for any injuries. "Are you okay? Couldn't you have asked me first if you wanted to take us for a swim?" He asked as he lead us towards to edge we fell off of.

I began to laugh, "I'm so sorry," I gasped out between giggles, "I know I'm supposed to take you out to dinner before we got wet but I was just so eager." I joked, starting my giggling fit again as I buried my face in his shoulder while I laughed hysterically.

Noah's face became redder than a tomato the very instant after I made my joke. I proceeded to blush intensely as well, realizing the gravity of my previous statement. My inner insecurities skyrocketed as I began to fear that I had gone too far too soon and that I had ruined a beautiful thing before it had a chance to truly begin. "Oh, I'm so sorry." I whispered while I pushed myself away from him. "I was out of line and—"

"It's okay," he responded quickly, moving to catch me as I began to lose my balance again. "Careful clumsy." He chided while he held me upright. "Emma, are you drunk? You don't seem drunk."

"I'm probably tipsy." I responded, trying to focus on not falling over again as I pulled myself out of the pool and sat on the edge. I could feel the worst of the alcohol's influence begin to fade away. Most likely because I drank too much too fast on a nearly empty stomach. Stupid move, Emma. You're smarter than that!

"I'll say, I'd bet that a gust of wind would be able to knock you flat on your back in your current state." He remarked as he began to pull himself out of the pool. I quickly went to assist him grabbing his chest and pulling him up the rest of the way. "Don't go doing that!" He exclaimed panicked. "You'll pull us in again and I am not thirsty enough to justify gulping down two mouthfuls of that germ infested water." He said after we were both out of the water. We then collapsed next to each other, breathing hard as we laid on the concrete side by side.

A few moments passed as we both just laid there and caught our breaths. I stared at the stars, waiting for them to stop spinning. When the stars finally slowed down from flying around in large circles to floating around in very small ones, I figured it was the best it was going to get for a few hours and turned onto my side before I pushed myself onto all fours. I looked over to Noah's very drenched form (as he had not moved from his previous position) and sighed. "We can't stay here all night—we're going to get sick if we stay out like this for much longer, and I don't know about you but I _cannot_ afford to get sick." I said, determined. "Get up, I'll help you."

He held up a hand at me, palm forward refusing to look in my direction. "I have full use of my limbs. I can get myself up." He said, his normally neutral tones had a slight hint of panic to them.

"Then do it." I challenged as I moved to sit on my thighs.

"Give me another minute to catch my breath. It not every day I have to face the prospect of drowning." He finished in a slightly agitated tone, his arm dropping to his chest with a loud wet sound as he coughed.

I huffed and rolled my eyes but stayed where I was, waiting patiently for him to feel well enough to go inside. As I waited, I found my gaze drifting to his wet chest, my eyes widening at what exactly the clinging cloth was revealing. I felt the blood rush into my cheeks, heating them significantly as I wordlessly (and shamelessly) checked him out as much as I dared. When he began to shift his arms, I quickly looked away from him and towards the house, pretending that I had been looking there the entire time.

Still half laying down, he began to shift his weight into one of his arms in order to push himself up fully. I could see his arms begin to tremble from the effort, so I moved over to help him. I tugged one of his arms against my chest as I began to stand, directly causing him to be lifted into a standing position. He let out quick hard breaths, panting out a, "I did not have the energy to swim today" before he proceeded to lean his weight against my side.

I chuckled at his lack of endurance as I took hold of his right arm and wrapped it around my shoulder. "I'll get you inside." I smiled, feeling him lean considerably against my frame as we began our short journey to the back doors of the house. "You're so exhausted after one little swim—are you sure you're okay?" I asked, concerned as I looked at his water-drenched head that was lolling near my shoulder.

"I'm not a perpetual source of energy," he scoffed, shaking his head slightly as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I've been up for far longer than usual today, and that swim of yours used all I had left." (1)

I carefully stepped us over the bottle I had left behind, unwilling to cause him more possible damage as I solemnly explained and apologized. "My balance becomes terrible when I consume small amounts of alcohol. I'm sorry I dragged you down with me." I glanced at my flats positioned on the bottom stair of the deck and decided to lean Noah against the railing nearby for a moment as I shoved them on quickly. I quickly went back to him, grabbed his arm and leveraged it over my shoulder before we continued towards the house.

"Pfft," he exclaimed while rolling his eyes, shifting his head so it laid on my shoulder as we began to ascend the deck's stairs. "If I hadn't been in there, there's a possibility you could have drowned and I'd rather you not die." He explained, sounding more and more worn out with every word. "You're good for conversation," he continued, his voice getting softer and more difficult to hear. "And you're really pretty."

I could feel my face heating up from an intense blush thanks to his sleepy comment. I barely managed to control the urge to giggle and squeal like a schoolgirl as we took the final stair and began to cross the deck. Neither of us spoke as we came up to the glass door; I carefully shifted his weight slightly as I reached for the door's handle and pulled it open.

We stepped into the living room, the lights of the party so bright that my eyes began to water. I managed to get us a few steps in before I heard a loud exclamation. "Noah! Are you alright little buddy?" Called out a concerned Owen as he moved towards us before stopping right next to us, looking on with a confused expression.

"Of course I am," Noah replied sarcastically, lifting his head from my shoulders. "Didn't you know that the drowned cat look is in this season?" He asked snidely, standing up straighter without taking his arm off of me.

"No I didn't." Owen answered sincerely. "I don't really keep up with fashion Noah." He reasoned as he giggled nervously, ignorant of Noah's sarcasm in his line of questioning.

"Of course you don't."

I could see my sister weaving her way through the crowd, jumping every now and then to see what was going on. Her eyes locked onto my form and a worried expression appeared on her face. "Oh my gosh! Emma? Big sis, what happened to you?" She called out as she broke through the last of the people separating us and stopped a couple feet away from me.

"Emma?" Owen asked eyes widening, face contorting into one of recognition. I didn't understand why though, I don't remember ever meeting him before and I didn't give him my name in the kitchen. "Noah, is this the girl from the laundry—?" He began before Noah, with a sudden spurt of energy, launched himself from leaning on me to up against Owen with his hand clasped over his mouth firmly.

A frown forming on his face as he stared at his roommate. "Come on big guy. We should head home."

"Noah?" Kitty asked, an amused glint in her eyes as she turned her gaze to me.

"Yes. I'm Noah," he gestured to himself with his free hand. "This is Owen, you must be Kitty," he motioned to the two of them, "and she is Emma." He concluded, his voice softening slightly as he said my name.

Kitty began to squeal in excitement. "Emma! Is this—?"

I lifted my hands into a stop motion as she began to talk, cutting her off mid-sentence. "Kitty, get us towels. Now. No questions." I demanded in my no nonsense voice before crossing my arms and glaring at her a silent threat. She pretended to be upset by pouting her lips, but her smile was giving away her joy. She then nodded once, acknowledging my command (as well as my silent threat of ' _say nothing_ or perish') before turning to go find our host to retrieve towels.

Owen giggled, taking Noah's hand off of his mouth before he stage whispered, giving him a thumbs up, "I've got your back Noah!" He then slapped him on the back, nearly knocking the poor guy over. Noah stumbled a few steps closer to me, a mortified look on his face.

He buried his head into his hands, the picture of embarrassment, before quickly responding in a deadpan voice. "Of course you do."

"Get outta the way! Move it!" Kitty's shouts met my ears. I watched her progression through the crowd as she nearly knocked over a skinny ginger haired boy with glasses who exclaimed a disgruntled "gosh" at her antics before continuing with his conversation to a few other boys.

She was panting like she had run a marathon when she handed me three full sized towels. "These are all," she paused to lightly cough, "that Geoff had. Well, ones that were clean." She explained, aiding me in getting wrapped up into mine.

I grabbed one of the extra towels and handed it to Noah. "Get yourself dry. Staying wet isn't going to help anything." I said, trying to not sound _too_ bossy while getting the point across. He took a few steps to get closer to me (more than were necessary but I wasn't complaining) before grabbing the towel and proceeding to wrap himself up into it.

"Aw man, and I was going to try to win the wet T-shirt contest." He commented. "You're ruining all my fun, Emma." He said as he looked at me, his eyes shining with a small smile on his face. He pulled the towel onto the top of his head and ruffled it around to dry his hair. After he had his hair dry enough, he pulled the cloth down around his torso and tugged it closer to himself.

"Well, if you really want me to, I can go get a bucket full of water from the kitchen and you can start over." I suggested with a wicked smile on my face, staring into those deep brown eyes of his. The people in the room faded away as he consumed my focus. My world became just me and Noah being snarky know-it-alls, looking deep into each other's eyes. I was falling for him so hard and I didn't want it to stop.

"The damage is already done." He said with a shrug, stepping closer.

"OMG Owen! They're so cute together!" I heard my sister whisper, snapping me out of the moment entirely. As I turned to look at her I quickly assessed my emotions, my train of thought, and how close we were.

"I know, right? I've never seen Noah smile so much before. It's kinda creepy." Owen whispered in response, wincing.

Overwhelming panic flooded my thoughts as I realized my predicament. I barely knew Noah, seeing as we had had all of two run ins with each other. Yet, in my head, I was already beginning to think that I was _in love_ with him. Jake was right; I moved way too fast. As I was looking at my sister, my eyes narrowed into a determined glare. I was not going to have a repeat experience. I turned my gaze back to Noah as I pulled away from his form. I saw his eyes regain that frustrated look I had seen not too long ago when we had been in a similar predicament, and just like that, I could feel my will begin to crumble. I had already lost the battle and hadn't even realized it. As I took in his discouraged gaze, I concluded that maybe he wanted this too.

I slowly shook my head to try to stop myself from analyzing the situation. Before I could begin to restart my train of thought, Noah began to walk away calling back, "I'll get you some water," as he left, Owen trailing after him silently.

A flash of movement occurred before my earlobe was grasped painfully between Kitty's slender fingers. I cried out in pain as she began to tug me away, retrieving towards the back door. "Kitty!" I exclaimed in painful surprise. "What the hell?" I asked as I cooperated, allowing her to move me away.

She released me from her strong hold before she placed her hands firmly on her hips. She then proceeded to start glaring at me. We stared at each other for a moment, I wearing a confused expression while she wore a furious one. "What the hell, Emma!" She suddenly screeched. "You two were so cute and then you had to go and stop it!"

"Kitty!" I growled, "Leave it." I said, narrowing my eyes at her.

"No! You two click! Even _I_ could see that from witnessing one conversation!" She began, her fury fading as her eyes slowly grew concerned, "Please don't ruin this because you're afraid he might turn out like Jake." She begged, beginning to look depressed.

I became unnerved at her guess, seeing as that had been along the lines of my train of thought earlier and the source of my fears. "I—"I began, trying to think over how to explain and justify my actions, but she cut me off.

"I'm not necessarily asking you to date him, Emma!" She exclaimed, exasperated throwing her hands into the air. "I'm asking you to stop holding back and just go with the flow. Start acting your age and just do what feels right instead of what seems logical." She grabbed my shoulders and looked deep into my eyes, searching for something. "I know it's hard for you to do, but I want you to be happy. Even if you don't end up dating Noah or whatever, you have to start feeling things instead of over thinking everything." She paused before continuing quieter, barely audible over the sounds of the other party guests and music. "Don't live in fear of what might be." She let me go, her eyes brimming with unshed tears before she walked away.

Noah found me minutes later sitting in a chair, deep in thought over my (rather one sided) conversation with Kitty. He handed me a sealed bottle of water before opening his own and taking a few sips from it. I took the offered bottle with a smile.

"Thanks, though it's not like I didn't have enough water already."

He smirked. "You're just rephrasing a joke I made earlier." Noah accused, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. He grabbed a nearby chair and seated himself onto it, looking at me expectantly.

I desperately racked my brain, trying to find a way to remove the awkwardness that had settled between us. Books. He liked to read books right? "Hey," I started, blushing as I looked into his eyes. "Let's get out of here."

His eye brows raised in curiosity as he leaned towards the edge of his seat, head tilted slightly in a wordless expression of "go on, I'm listening".

"I want to leave this party to go to the library with you."

I watched in amusement as his posture immediately straightened while his face contorted from inquisitive, to shocked, before settling into awe. He sat as still as a statue for the equivalent duration of three pop songs before he finally moved. He slowly got up from his chair and walked to mine, hesitantly reaching out to firmly grab my hand. His gaze settled on our entwined fingers. "I have never wanted anything more."

I wore a wide grin as I pulled on his hand lightly, standing up from my seat. My grip on his hand tightened ever so slightly as I began to lead him into the crowd. "I need to find my sister first." I told him, my excitement evident as my free hand fiddled with the car keys on one of my belt loops, my eyes scanning over the room in a desperate search for my sister. Finally, I found her in the middle of a conversation among Geoff, Bridget, a brown haired boy wearing nothing but red, and a big chested blonde girl.

"Here," I interrupted as I grabbed her hand and forced the keys to the car into her possession. "You'll need to drive Owen home. I'm leaving with Noah." I finished before turning to leave.

"W-wait, what?" Kitty called out in surprised confusion as she took them, "Where are you going? Emma!" I heard her voice yell out frantically.

"Don't wait up!" I called out in response as I pulled Noah out of the house and into the night. I paused, uncertain with what to do next as I realized I had no idea what his car looked like.

He wordlessly led me to his vehicle and unlocked it when we approached. After we settled into our respective seats, he turned to me and asked cheeks burning, "You do realize that Kitty's probably thinking that we're leaving to go have sex or something."

"She can think what she wants." I huff, crossing my arms around my seatbelt. "If she finds out I left to go to the library she would kill me."

"Versus you having sex with someone you're not completely familiar with? Glad to see your sister has her priorities straight." He deadpanned as he turned the key in the ignition, took the car out of park, and drove us away.

The lone librarian who saw us must have thought that we were insane. She was a small red haired woman with a pointed face and black framed round glasses in front of her green eyes with a name tag reading "Scarlett". She looked at us with a raised eyebrow considering why we two young adults would be walking into the library just after midnight with our clothes damp, eyes wide, and hands clasped firmly together. When we approached her station, I inquired to the location of classic novels while Noah asked for the biographies. She became surprised. "Second floor in section's B and F." She described, pointing to the stairwell before she picked up a rather large, advanced-looking physics book from behind her mahogany desk and began to read with an apathetic expression.

We made our way up to the described locations, temporarily going our separate ways in search for a good book to read. Noah came to find me a few minutes later with a tome in hand. He passed me the book entitled, "Winston Churchill: A biographical companion" before saying, "He's one of my favorite people."

I tugged the book tight against my chest before I hurriedly re-examined my selection. Of them, one in particular caught my eye. "I remember reading about him years ago. " I said as I reached for my chosen book, a blush forming on my cheeks. "I only remember bits and pieces." I grabbed a well-worn, beaten tome from the bottom shelf, my face growing hotter as I revealed. "I know it's a cliché, but this has always been one of my favorites." Handing him the copy of "Pride and Prejudice". (2)

"So mainstream, and just when I was beginning to think you were the total package." He deadpanned. I could feel my blush burning hotter as he took the book out of my hands. "Honestly, I haven't read it. So I have no idea if it holds up or not."

"You could start reading it now." I said suddenly, without any forethought, as I placed my hand against the weathered cover of the famous Jane Austin novel. "I'll read yours." I hastily added.

"No fair, I'm getting the chick book." He replied in fake disagreement as his free hand loosely went around my wrist. His eyes crinkled with mirth as he proceeded to tug me towards him, walking to a lone couch that sat against a wall with a coffee table on each side and small lamps lighting up the secluded space. He let go before he sat onto one of the dark brown leathered seats, turning his attention to my chosen book and carefully turning to page one. He allowed his attention to be focused onto nothing but the ink and paper a mere six inches from his nose.

Trying not to disturb him, I quietly sat next to him as I opened the cover to my own book, taking in the words as they described the greatness of the man that was known as Winston Churchill. We sat in comfortable silence as I flew through the text, consuming the words hungrily as the rays from the light emitting from the lamp beat against my skin. I could feel my eyes getting heavier as time passed while gravity slowly began to get the upper hand on my body. I jumped slightly, though barely roused from my stupor, when I felt something collide against my shoulder. I looked over and saw Noah, who was barely conscious with his head laying on my shoulder at what looked like an uncomfortable angle. Our eyes met before he whispered to me. "Really tired." I didn't put up any fight as he grabbed me gently with one of his arms and maneuvered us so that we were lounging comfortably against the back of the couch instead of sitting up straight against it. I fell asleep instantly.

I was startled awake by the sound of loud laughter. My face was resting against a firm fabric, and my eyes opened to the sight of teal filling my vision as I shifted, feeling something pressing against my back. I moved my stiff arms into a better position to properly push my weary body up from its resting place. I gasped in surprise when I saw Noah beneath me, his eyes closed and his mouth slightly agape. One of his arms was behind his head while the other… I found it was the thing that had been resting against the small of my back. As I looked around the room, my memories began to catch up to me and I began to blush, realizing that I had cuddled up against him and had used him as a pillow while I slept. My gaze landed on a digital clock across the room that read 9:27 A.M, my eyes widening as my body filled with adrenaline.

"OH GOD, I'M SO LATE!" I yelled out, Noah jumping awake with his expression both worried and confused. I began to panic, flailing as I tried to untangle myself from Noah. My actions ended up making us both fall onto the floor with a _thump_ , myself on top of Noah who was groaning in pain. My hands ghosted over his form, panicking while I started to ask him way too many questions regarding his wellbeing. "Oh, Noah! Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" I began before he effectively shut me up by pushing himself up enough to press a gentle kiss onto my cheek.

He smiled in response to my wide-eyed expression and burning blush, staring at me for a long while before he whispered to me "I guess you could say we've fallen for each other." I laughed heartily for a few minutes before I grinned widely at his cheesy line and gazed into his pools of russet as our heads drifted closer and closer until our foreheads touched-

Of course right then is when I was hit with a surge of remembrance, the source of my previous panic. I snapped my head back, jumping to stand from Noah's torso. "I'm late! I need to leave for my tutor session!" I cried out as I turned to look at his grounded form.

Noah slowly sat up, stretching his wiry arms. "You're a smart girl, Em. Can't you make up for it later?" He asked expectantly, his eyes hooded with drowsiness.

"I'm the tutor. Courtney's not entirely sure about all of the material for her Business Law class, and she has a test early tomorrow."

"So just tell her something's come up." Noah reasoned, standing up and hesitantly taking my hand.

I shook my head fiercely, fear flooding my system. "No, you haven't met Courtney. If I call her to say something came up, _she will find out what it was_." I paused, thinking about all the various possible scenarios that could occur. "She'd stop at nothing. Her schooling means more to her than mine means to me."

"She sounds psychotic." He said in a deadpan manner before he grew concerned. "There's no way this will turn out anything like half the horror movies in existence." He remarked as he rolled his eyes.

I rolled my eyes in response as I tugged him down the stairs of the library. "I won't have to find out if I'm not late. Let's move."

As he drove we talked. I discovered that he did not go to the same college as I did—he went to one about the same distance from our apartment complex in the opposite direction, and was in his senior year like me. He talked about how his school focused on teaching aspects of technology like coding and building computers and, once he had nothing left to say about it, he had asked me about my education. We chatted during the whole forty-five minute drive, finding multiple things that we had a lot in common and making me want the drive to last forever.

When we were nearing my college, I began to give him directions to the school's library (my predetermined meeting place with Courtney.) The car slowed to a stop in a drop-off zone before he turned on his hazard lights and moved to look at me. We didn't say anything for a few moments as we took each other in. I smiled sadly as I grabbed the car door's handle and shifted to get out of the car. Halfway out the door, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at Noah who was frowning. "Emma?"

My sad expression became soft at his voice. "Yes?"

Stretching his spine, he leaned his wiry torso as far forward as his seat belt would allow him and hesitantly placed his lips against mine for a brief moment that lasted much longer in my head. Before the kiss had truly begun, it ended as Noah quickly pulled himself away, his face bright shade of crimson. I was so shocked by what had just happened that I practically tripped the rest of the way out of his car. With an unbalanced landing to my feet, I shook my head of the insistent distracting thoughts and made my way towards the library and, controlling myself enough to only look back three times. His happiness was more evident with each glance back.

I managed to find Courtney in our usual spot. She was sitting on the second floor of the library, tucked away in a hidden corner and drinking an iced coffee with her notes organized in front of her and her gaze as cold as the frozen water in her cup. When she spotted me, her pupils went wide in shock and her mouth dropped open slightly. I approached the table with a smile as I pulled out my designated chair, wood screeching against the linoleum and letting out a soft, "Hey Courtney."

She began to shake her head, "Geez, Emma!" She began scoffing as I took my seat. "What are you wearing? Are you going out to a party after this?" She accused, rolling her eyes as she grabbed a pencil.

"What?" I immediately asked before remembering that I hadn't changed my clothes yet. Or showered. Ew. "Oh, right." I began, slowly composing my answer carefully in my head. "I'm actually coming from one." I explained vaguely as I grabbed the blue notebook on top of the pile and opened it to the material we needed to work on.

"Really, Emma? I thought you were more responsible than that." She chided as she took the rubber band off from her note cards.

"I'm allowed to go out and have fun, Courtney. It was a Saturday night and I was tired of studying." I responded to her accusation, feeling under attack. "Where should we start today?" I asked, trying to sound as calm as possible.

"I need to understand the specifics that constitutes a corporate veil." She answered confidently before going on the attack once again. "So, did you have fun at the party?"

I had fun with Noah, but… "No, the party wasn't my thing." I answered honestly. The possibility of daydreaming Noah's dark brown eyes was a very tempting thought, however, the thought of Courtney seeing me distracted was much more motivating to keep me on task.

"Then its purpose was null and you shouldn't have gone." She responded, smug as she crossed her arms.

I sighed in response and decided to let her win seeing as I was sweaty, tired, and just wanted to go home. Fighting her about this wasn't worth it. I focused all of my energy into the next three hours going over notes, quizzing her with flash cards, and clarifying concepts until Courtney was confident enough with the material.

"Thanks so much for your help, Emma. You have a test two weeks from Monday, right?" Courtney asked once we had finished, grabbing her pens and pencils and returning them to their cases. I nodded in response to her question, grabbing her notebooks to organize them before handing them over to her. "I'll be busy that Sunday. Are you free that Saturday around noon instead?"

"Yeah. We can meet then." I affirmed as I pulled my phone from my pocket to call Kitty to come get me from the library. As I prepared for a tongue lashing, I pressed and held the on button and waited for the screen to turn on. When it didn't my face contorted to terror as I came to realize in that my cell had fallen into the pool with me last night. "Oh no." I whispered in horror while remembering I hadn't told Noah my number, he hadn't told me his, and I didn't know his apartment number. I began to hyperventilate. I had been so stupidly worried about getting here that I had forgotten I didn't have Noah's basic contact information.

"Are you okay, Emma?" Courtney asked, concerned as she placed a hand onto my shoulder and looking at me with worried eyes.

"My phone's dead. I can't call my sister to have her pick me up." I hastily explained as my panic heightened and I pressed my fingers against my temple in an attempt to focus.

"Hey," Courtney called out gently taking my hands in hers and looking me in the eye. "I'll drive you home, Emma." She smiled sadly. "What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?" Letting me go, she turned to quickly finish up packing her studying materials into her light grey backpack. She grabbed her melted iced coffee and threw it away into the nearest trash can before she turned to me, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me out of the building.

We made our way across the campus to her parked Prius without incident. After we climbed into her vehicle and buckled ourselves, in she turned to me to pry. "So, what's up? Your freak-out was a little too intense for your phone to just be dead." She detected as she put the car into reverse to get out of the parking space.

"My phone is not just dead, it's destroyed." I clarified.

Courtney cocked her head in curiosity as she put the car into drive. "What happened to it?" She asked politely.

I blushed and quietly told her, "I fell into a pool," as I turned to look out the passenger side window. I heard Courtney begin to laugh as I wedged my elbow against the glass and rested my head in my hand. I stared out at the pedestrians, buildings, and cars with a frown etched onto my face wishing I could go back to this morning to _at least_ get his number.

"That is hilarious." She managed once she calmed down enough. "How did you, the serious and organized Emma, manage to fall into a pool?" She asked, still giggling with one hand firmly on the wheel while the other was pressed hard against her mouth to stifle her mirth.

"Look, it doesn't matter." I exclaimed as I moved from the window to throw my hands up into the air in exasperation. "I'm just a klutz, alright? I don't want to talk about it." I placed my hands into my lap sadly. I didn't want to remember Noah right now and how I couldn't talk to him until we had another chance encounter.

"I'm sorry I'm pestering you! It's only because it isn't like you, Emma." Courtney defended. "You aren't one to just fall into a pool like that. You are too responsible." She reasoned.

I sighed in annoyance with my head down as I growled: "I'm sorry the story isn't juicy enough for you, but that's how it happened. I lost my balance near a pool and fell in."

The rest of the ride was filled with an uncomfortable silence that neither of us wanted to be the first one to breach. Courtney and I used to be good friends growing up, however, we were both stubborn and headstrong (bossy) people. We could get along great as well as hold intense grudges. An excellent example of an on-again off-again best friend relationship. At least we agreed on the importance of education.

I felt my eyes begin to drift closed as I felt a wave of weariness flood my being. Before I could succumb to it, the car stopped and roughly jolted me awake. I looked to Courtney, who had a contempt, expectant look on her face, before I looked out the window to see that we had arrived at my five story apartment complex. I hastily placed my hand against the car's door handle before I paused. I didn't want Courtney to be mad over this. "Hey," I called out sadly, before I turned to look at her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you since you were just worried about me."

Courtney was sadly smiling at me, trying to stay upset but happy that I had apologized to her. She suddenly sighed, the exhale sounding tired. "It's okay. I forgive you."

"Thanks, Courtney." I exclaimed as I left the car. I stood beside the passenger door for a moment to straighten up my wrinkled clothing, hearing the sound of the window behind me rolling down. I turned to look at Courtney, who had her mouth open and one hand out looking like she wanted to say something. Just as she was uttering the first syllables I heard a scream coming from the main apartment door.

"EMMA!" I watched in fear as my angry younger sister ran over to me, screaming profanities. I took a terrified step backwards and into the door of the vehicle behind me before she grabbed my shoulders and yelled, "Where the HELL have you been?" She demanded, shoving me into the steel of Courtney's car roughly. "I've been worried sick about you! You left me at the party by myself Emma! So not cool." She chided, eyes burning with aggression. "AND you left with a boy I didn't know! I was so worried he'd done something to you!" Her voice began to crack as tears formed in her eyes and flooded down her face. "God, Emma!" She cried. "I called you and called you and you never answered!" She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and began to sob uncontrollably into my neck.

"You went to a party and left with a boy?" Courtney asked her eyes wide in surprise after hearing the onslaught of information from the safety of the driver's seat.

I gently patted her back trying to sooth her angst. "I'm so sorry, Kitty. My phone fell in the water with me, that's why I never answered." I explained as I realized how much I truly had worried Kit. Sure, Kitty tends to be overdramatic, but if she had pulled this kind of stunt, I'd be as bad as she is right now: a sobbing uncontrollable mess of fear and anger. "Oh god, Kit. I shouldn't have left you like I did. I'm so sorry." I apologized, hugging her tightly.

We stood there, leaning against Courtney's car, until Kitty calmed down. She suddenly shoved herself away from me, sternly staring me down as she placed her hands on her hips. "Where _have_ you been?" She demanded, her eyes narrowed in disdain.

"Parties aren't Noah's and I's thing, so we left. To go to a library." I told her, my face hot with embarrassment. I looked away from Kitty feeling guilt about worrying her but sure I wouldn't have made a different decision last night.

" _SERIOUSLY?!_ " She cried out in disbelief, throwing her hands into the air and leaning forward. She looked a strange mix of livid and shocked. "You left the party with a boy to _go to the library_?" She blinked dramatically when I nodded simply to her accusation. A temporary silence settled between the three of us. Then, as sudden as her arrival, she proceeded to laugh. She clutched her gut in an inane attempt to aid in her breathing as she laughed with everything she had. She began to sway and stumble after two solid minutes of laughter.

"Kitty!" I called out, racing forward to catch her as she fell. She rested her head against my chest as she laughed heartily, face covered with tears, snot, and coughing every now and then. I rubbed my free hand in circles on her back while I waited patiently for her laughing fit to end.

"I can't believe," she choked out between laughs, "that you went to the _library_ ," she huffed before another set of giggles interrupted her, "with him. That's so how," she giggled as she wrapped her arms around me, "you would show," she continued as she hiccupped, "a guy a good time." At her last line she began to laugh even harder.

I rolled my eyes at her comment and looked to Courtney who was still in the car, watching us carefully with a thoughtful expression on her face. "Thanks for dropping me off, Courtney. We'll talk later, okay?" Courtney nodded in response but said nothing. She drove off without another word.

"Come on, Kit. We need to get inside." I stated as I bent down to help her laughing self upright. I proceeded to support her weight all the way into the main floor of our complex and up two flights of stairs without much incident.

I went to our door and asked Kitty for the key to get into the apartment. Still laughing her ass off, she barely managed to turn the door's knob enough to open it. Apparently she'd left the front door unlocked in her panic. Typical Kitty. I led her inside and to our couch in the living room before I went back to the door to lock it behind us. Turning back to my giggling sister I went to sit next to her and waited for her mirth to fade.

Ten minutes later, we were sitting in silence. I was refusing to look at her, but I could still feel her disappointed gaze on me. After what felt like an eternity, Kitty finally spoke. "I'm just so glad you're okay. I was really close to calling the cops." She paused. "I'm glad I didn't. Noah seems like a nice guy."

I smiled sadly at the thought of Noah. "Yeah. He is." I responded despondently.

Kitty shifted on the couch to get a better look at me. "What's wrong, Em?" She asked, using my nickname to show that we were okay, that she wasn't mad at me anymore, and that I had been forgiven.

"It's just—" I paused as I placed my head in my hands. "I'm such an idiot. I never got his number."

My sister just rolled her eyes at me as she encompassed me in a loose bear hug, "Jesus, Emma, you're so bad at this." She smiled, squeezing me lightly.

I sniffed as I smiled back at her through unshed tears. "I know Kitty. I really am." As I shifted in my sister's hug, I truly felt the clothing I was wearing for the first time in hours. "Eugh!" I exclaimed in disgust as I pushed Kitty off of me to stand. "I need a shower." I exclaimed, heading to the bathroom and closing the door behind me.

I could hear my sister's short laugh through the door as she yelled, "Suspicious, big sis! Are you sure you're not lying to me about the library date? Didn't get up to anything, did you?"

"Har har har," I deadpanned as I shed my wrinkled, sweaty clothes and threw them into the wicker hamper across from our toilet. "No, Kitty, I just don't want to smell like pool water anymore." I responded, not having the heart to make fun of her after what I'd put her though today. I'd take a parade dedicated to teasing me to make up for scaring her like that.

"I'm _sure_ that's the smell you're trying to get rid of." She responded playfully, her voice sounding fainter.

"Kitty!" I screamed in mock mortification, before starting the water, hopping in, and drawing the curtains.

With the sounds of water rushing loudly in my ears, continuing the conversation with Kitty quickly became impossible. I took my time soaping up my skin and washing my hair. The feel of the hot water pounding against my stiff back eased some of my tension. After about fifteen minutes of taking in the relaxing heat, I decided to stop for the sake of our water bill. Grabbing one of our towels stacked on a shelf near the tub, I bent over to wrap my hair in it, throwing on my robe and grabbing my party outfit before leaving the bathroom.

The cold air hit me as soon as I opened the door. I gasped at the temperature change, forcing myself to step onto the wooden floor. I heard the echo of metal clanging together from the kitchen throughout the rest of our abode. I figured it was Kitty cooking as I made my way to my room next to the living room, my feet padding softly on the floor as I left a small trail of water behind me (which I'd clean up after drying myself off.) I turned the knob to my bedroom door and entered my sanctuary.

The first and most prevalent thing that stood out in my mind was the presence of the laundry that I did not end up doing at all the day before. I stared at it in contempt before I remembered my train of thought from yesterday. I could do the laundry around 10pm tonight and there would be a high likeliness to see him. I could give him my number! I quickly looked at the clock and groaned when I saw it was only 2:42 P.M.(3) My day already felt so long, I knew that wanting to do the laundry at ten was going to make the day feel even longer. I dressed myself in some of my favorite comfy clothes before I towel-dried my hair. With the same cloth, I exited my room to get onto my hands and knees to wipe up the water I had left on the wooded flooring earlier. I dried my sweat gathering brow as soon as I had finished and moved to the kitchen to see what Kitty was up to.

Flour was everywhere alongside pools of melted butter, spilled milk, and bleeding chopped fruits. Kitty's eyes became fearful when she saw me in the kitchen that I had cleaned yesterday, taking in the mess. I began to laugh at her despondent situation and the adorableness of the flour on her face. I helped her clean up the mess for the next two hours before I aided her in making the pancakes she had been attempting to make. The moments where we ended up laughing and having fun as we worked together meant the world to me. Despite what she'd gone through this morning, we were still as close as ever.

We ended up in the living room watching a marathon of some reality T.V. show about racing around the world. Kitty was chowing down on her chocolatey-chocolate-chip pancakes while she watched the show adamantly (apparently she was a fan), while I was calmly munching on my regular pancakes with blueberry and strawberry bits mixed in. I smiled at her antics, eating calmly as Kitty raved about the show and attempting to catch me up with the action during the commercial breaks. We watched the show for a few hours before I stood, deciding I wanted to get some reading done for my classes. I wished her a good night before I left her for my room.

I studied inside my room, highlighting different important sections with my neon orange marker and scribbling on notecards until my alarm I had set for 9:50 P.M. went off. I jumped from my desk in excitement as I grabbed my large load of laundry and leveraged it against my hip before I left my room. Kitty looked up from her phone and spotted me from her place on the couch as I crossed the living room, heading for the front door. She looked at my laundry basket with a suspicious face before grinning widely at me.

I couldn't hold back my own smile as I grabbed my keys and change. "Wait! Emma!" Kitty cried as she jumped off of our furniture and ran towards me. She stopped right in front of me, holding out her cell phone gesturing for me to take it.

"Your phone?" I asked in disbelief. Kitty's cellphone never left her side.

She nodded quickly, her grin getting even wider. "I'm not going through this morning's heart ache again. You take it just in case. I can live without it for a few hours." She stated reasonably.

Kitty giving me her phone… that was something. She doesn't let _anyone_ near that thing. _EVER_. And for her to just tell me to take it out of her life for the next few hours so I could meet a boy I liked and have the ability to call someone if something went wrong…

I loved my sister.

I could feel tears threatening to spill from my eyes as I launched myself at her, hugging her tightly against myself and the laundry basket. "Woah! Emma!" Kitty complained as I crushed her to my body. "You're…" she began to choke out, "you're hurting me." I rolled my eyes before relenting and releasing her from my hold.

"I love you, Kitty." I told her seriously as I took the phone from her and shoved it into my back pocket with my free hand.

"Yeah, well _you_ get to call mom and dad tomorrow and tell them that you need a new phone cause you drowned your old one." My love for her was being tested at its limits. Unwilling to stay and hear about my oncoming demise any longer, I turned to leave.

"Oh, joy." I deadpanned as I opened the front door and closed it on the sounds of Kitty's laughter.

The first two days he wasn't there didn't really bother me. While I _did_ miss talking to him, listening to his smooth voice, and checking him out while I thought he wasn't looking, I wasn't too concerned when I went to do laundry at 10 o'clock that night and Monday, only to see the laundry room devoid of all life. I figured the poor guy was exhausted from our antics on Saturday and decided to go to sleep early, either forgoing the laundry or planning to do it at an earlier time. I was a little grumpy on Tuesday after not being able to see the guy I was thinking about a little too much to be healthy.

My call asking for a new phone to my parents on Monday went exactly as you'd expect. A lot of yelling and chastising directed towards me as I begged forgiveness for drowning a $400 phone and eventually settling down into an agreement that I needed to have a new, slightly less advanced and expensive phone due to the fact that phones were just a necessity in today's technology-reliant age. I had met with Dad on Tuesday before he had to go to work in order to get my new phone with him. His Asian features contorted into an angry expression that did not leave for our entire encounter. So, unless you count the part where I thanked him and apologized once again for my klutziness, we didn't really talk during the transaction. I went to school and aced a quiz before I came home and did my laundry before bed, no Noah in sight.

On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday I began to grow concerned. I went to school but I couldn't truly immerse myself into the material. I'd come home and watch T.V. with Kitty, trying to become numb to the pain that was slowly spreading from my heart to the rest of my body as each night passed without seeing Noah. Kitty began to grow worried for me on Thursday. We had been watching a horror movie on one of our cable's movie channels and it was rolling the credits when I saw the title for the next movie and screamed in agony, storming out of the living room and refusing to watch "Pride and Prejudice". It was beginning to hurt too much.

On Friday I slept through my one class and didn't have the heart to leave my bed for the entirety of the day. Kitty cracked open my bedroom door and worriedly called out "Emma? You're still home?" while pressing against my door to widen the crack enough to enter my abode. I laid curled up in a fetal position, my face buried in a pillow.

"I think I'm getting sick from falling in the pool." I lied, not wanting to admit how weak I was becoming, tightening my grip on the pillow against my face.

I felt the springs in my mattress jolt as Kitty sat near me and began to run her fingers through my hair. "Oh, Emma!" Kitty cried despondently. "Would you like some chicken soup? Do you think that might help you feel better?" She asked gently as she began to lightly rub comforting circles on my back.

"I guess." I responded dejectedly, not hungry despite knowing I hadn't eaten at all day and it was four o'clock. The numbness in my heart was spreading to my fingers and toes, a feeling I no longer had the desire to fight.

Kitty stood slowly from my bed. "I'll make you some chicken soup, Emma!" She declared triumphantly as she made her way to the kitchen calling out "I'll help you get better, big sis!"

I faintly heard the sounds of pots and pans crashing both against each other as well as the hard wooded floor of the kitchen. I found the chaotic sounds comforting and soon found myself drifting back to sleep.

I woke to the smell of lemon chicken. Stomach rumbling, I turned over to see Kitty standing at my bedside with a large smile on her face and two small bowls sitting on a tray. She sat next to me without a word and motioned for me to sit up so that I could properly eat the meal. With a groan, I pushed myself from beneath the covers and placed my back firmly against my wooden headboard before reaching out to take my bowl from her hands. She directed a concerned look between spoonfuls of chicken as I began to stir the soupy water, sloshing it around but not daring to bring any to my lips. We sat this way; Kitty eating and I contemplating the universe for quite some time.

Once Kitty completed her portion of the meal, she turned to me and calmly stated "You're not okay, Em." I couldn't even find the energy to lie to her. I shrugged at her accusation, neither verbally confirming it nor denying it. "Emma." She started sternly. "He's not worth this. Please, move on before you do something you'll regret." She begged as she grabbed my spoon from my soup and held it in front of my mouth. "I will not sit back and do nothing, Emma. Please, eat and go do laundry in the morning like you used to instead of staying up half the night waiting for him."

I stared at the utensil three inches from my lips as I thought over her words. She was right. I was losing it. I had just liked him so much and had wanted to see him so badly to give him my number… not seeing him this past week had made me feel like he had dumped me before we had even started going out. Putting on my brave face, I opened my mouth and allowed Kitty to push the spoon between my open lips with a triumphant smile. (4)

I didn't do laundry that night just as Kitty had asked.

It was Saturday morning. I had woken up at 5:45 A.M. as my schedule had dictated previously. I shoved away all the numbness, determined to get over the boy who stopped doing laundry at ten at night in order to avoid me. I grabbed my hamper of clothes that I had prepared the night before and had begun my trek into the basement a little later than usual, as I was getting reacquainted to early bird status from my week-long hiatus.

As I descended the brick steps into the apartment's dank basement, I could have sworn I heard the sound of a dryer running. I opened the basement door only to see Noah propped against one of the washing machines, fast asleep. My eyes went wide as I took in the sight of him, hair standing up at different odds and ends, rugged and exhausted. I quietly placed my basket on top of one of the nearby machines before I kneeled next to him and gently placed my left hand underneath his chin to turn his face up. I saw dark bags underneath his eyes, indicating he had not been getting enough sleep.

"Noah," I whispered concerned as I ghosted my thumb over the circles laying beneath his eyes and continued the movement to brush his nose lightly.

His eyes opened tiredly and, upon recognizing me, a jolt of energy woke him from his drowsiness. "Emma!" He gasped before breaking into a smile as one of his hands reached towards me, confidently settling around my waist. "It's about time, I was beginning to think you had horrible hygiene. Didn't you say you do your laundry every day?" I looked at him, confused for a moment and unsure about what he was referring to, before I pulled my free hand to my mouth to stifle my gasp of surprise.

Every night while I had been waiting for him, he'd been waiting for me during the day. He had remembered that I had told him during our first conversation that I typically did my laundry at six. I began to laugh nervously, smiling wider and wider every time I thought of my realization that during this whole time _he_ had been waiting for _me_ too. "I did do my laundry." I told him honestly. "I did it around ten at night thinking you'd be there." I explained to him as I gently smoothed my fingers across his cheek.

Noah's smile had no boundaries as it took over and contorted the majority of his face. My response to the sheer amount of _emotion_ in his expression caused my face to feel as though it would break from the intensity of my own grin. When he lifted a hand and traced his fingers along my jaw line, I could feel my face begin to burn hotly given the depth of his gaze.

I moved the hand against his cheek and slowly down his neck, moving around his shoulders before settling right below his collar bone. I gripped the red cloth of his button down shirt between the fingers of my left hand and slowly pulled him towards me. Our lips met once more, a soft gasp of surprise escaping Noah's lips. I refused to let this kiss end as quickly as the last had, so I closed my eyes as our lips began to move in sync with each other. His hand was resting on my waist and ghosted up to my neck before settling to the back of my head, fingers tangling in my long dark locks and pulling me closer as our kiss grew more passionate.

While we kissed slowly and sensually at some moments, there were times where our kisses grew fast and heated. We jumped, our limbs entangled with one another when his drier went off with a startlingly-loud dinging noise, and looked at the source of the noise before we both began to laugh, turning our heads back to one another with our noses an inch apart and our eyes squinting in mirth at each other. Neither of us moved despite the regular chirping reminder of the drier behind us insisting that Noah grab his laundry from the machine, instead enjoying the presence of one another.

As he tangled his fingers in my hair, he asked me apprehensively, "So, do you like movies?"

I scoffed as I shifted into a more comfortable sitting position (my legs had been falling asleep) before replying. "Noah, who doesn't like movies?" I asked in my no nonsense voice.

He rolled his eyes at my response. "It was a lead-in line to see if you wanted to go and see a movie with me. I'm asking you out." He deadpanned as he shifted himself to sit up straighter.

"You are _not_ asking me out until we've exchanged phone numbers." I demanded while pulling my arms back to cross them in front of my chest, pretending to glare at him.

He chuckled as he shifted and reached into his back pocket to pull out his phone and hand it over to me. "It doesn't have a lock because I just got a new one yesterday. My old phone got soaked in water, and I still have no idea how that happened." He deadpanned with a smile on his face.

I blushed at the sarcastic accusation as I reached into my pocket to pull out my own phone and hand it to him. "I'm… Sorry about that." I apologized slowly as I took the offered cell and typed my number into his device before handing it back to him.

He smiled at my guilt, remarking as he punched his contact information "It's a small price to pay to date the hottest girl alive" while wiggling his eye brows in a flirtatious manor.

I giggled at the compliment before I plucked my phone from his possession, curious to see what mas taking him so long, only to see his number underneath the contact name "Boyfriend". I laughed at his antics as I changed the name from "Boyfriend" to "Laundry Boy".

"Why are you changing it? Isn't it accurate enough?" He asked, leaning over my shoulder to see what I was doing. "'Laundry Boy'?" He asked, pretending to sound offended. "You couldn't find better words to describe me other than laundry and boy?" He continued as he moved back to his original sitting position, crossing his arms.

I chucked at his words as they came across rather grumpy before creating the final edit to the name to just "'Noah'". I stood from my kneeling position and held out my hand to help him to his feet. He took it and a quiet grunt escaped my lips as I leveraged him to stand.

We were standing there awkwardly, looking at one another with our hands gripped in each other's as we were lost as to what we should do next. We kept looking at each other for guidance when his blush burned brighter. He opened his mouth to suggest, "Well, I was asking you out to a movie earlier. Is there something you want to see?" He asked in a hopeful tone.

I mentally reviewed the different titles I could recall that were released in the theater currently. None of it stood out to me. "Honestly, I'm not all that interested in anything that's playing right now." I stated kindly, grimacing in response to being unable to see anything interesting with him. My train of thought was suddenly hit with a wave of inspiration. I smiled brightly at him as I pulled him closer to my body. "Buuuut," I dragged out the beginning flirtatiously. "We can watch whatever looks good on Netflix at my place."

First, his face contorted into surprise before settling back into his usual deadpan expression. He shifted his brow suggestively and asked sarcastically, "Wow, we've already reached the Netflix and chill stage? You move kind of quick" while fighting a smile. "I like it."

I stuttered as the ever-reoccurring crimson stained my cheeks once again. "I didn't mean it like that!" I defended, feeling slightly off-balance from the whole 'moving kind of fast' part.

He shrugged as his smile grew wider. "I know. I still like your idea. Let's do that." He said as he wiggled his hands out of my grip before turning to the drier behind him and opening the metal door roughly. He quickly ripped the cloth from the confines of the device and proceeded to shove the clothes into the protection of his plastic hamper. This process took him all of three minutes.

While he was occupied with his task, I had taken hold of my own laundry in order to comfortably rest it against my hip, deciding to forgo completing this today's load of laundry in favor of completing it tomorrow.

"Anything in particular you wanted to watch on Netflix?" He inquired as he stood up, tugging his hamper against his chest and turning to me. I smiled at him before I began to walk backwards towards the exit. I stopped to hold the door open for him and led him up the three flights of stairs towards my apartment.

The balancing act of unlocking my front door while holding my laundry basket was made easier by Noah's insistence to hold my basket while I fiddled with the my keys in the lock. Upon opening the door and entering the abode, I discovered a distinct lack of Kitty's presence. The T.V. wasn't on, nothing was burning in the kitchen, and her voice didn't echo against the wooden flooring. She was either gone or still asleep. I'd take my chances.

I grabbed our loads of laundry from Noah's grasp and placed them out of the way onto the wooden coffee table near the doorway before I turned back to him and smiled. I grabbed his arm lightly and led him to the living room, allowing very little time for Noah to take in his surroundings, before I lightly pushed him onto our couch.

"Do you want anything to drink?" I asked, still standing and prepared to go into the kitchen to get him something.

"This sight alone is plenty refreshing." He responded with a smile before patting the open space next to him invitingly. While grinning in response to his comment, I grabbed the remote to my T.V. before taking the seat and pressing the power button.

We ended up spending most of our time together that morning talking about the different movies that were in my list. We compared multiple movies to their book counterparts and other versions if they had any. We only ended up half-watching one movie that neither of us had seen before that was about music or something; I'm not entirely sure because we had ended up kissing throughout the majority of the movie. I had asked Noah after it had ended if he had any knowledge of the plot, to which he had responded with an emotionless "No, and I'm okay with that. The parts I remember I only remember due to the sheer stupidity of it".

Around noon, I stood and looked to Noah and asked with curiosity, "I'm making lunch. What would you like?"

Instead of answering my inquiry, he moved from his lounging position and stood next to me. "I'll help you."

I led him into the kitchen and looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to finish looking around. When his gaze landed back onto me, I asked him one question: "What would you like to eat?"

He turned his gaze to the wall, his hand automatically coming to rest underneath his chin as an expression of concentration overcame him. He was quiet for a moment as he thought about his options before turning back to me. "I didn't have breakfast today. Eggs and bacon sound good?"

I smiled at his suggestion. "Yeah, me neither. It sounds great." I said as I turned on the stovetop, kneeling in order to open and see into the lower cabinets while trying take out the necessary skillets inadvertently causing a ruckus from shifting the pans and causing the metal to collide. "Pancakes?" I asked as I turned to look up at his form a few feet away from mine.

He shrugged in response as he moved to sit next to me, taking the pans I had put to the side with plans for their use and placing them onto the countertop. "Sounds good." He said as he turned his head towards mine. Our eyes widened when we took in just how close we had become to one another. He smiled before he placed his free hand onto my chin and closed the distance to kiss my cheek lightly.

I was so distracted by those warm brown eyes that I hadn't taken notice of the footsteps that were slowly getting louder, indicating their approach on our position. "Hey, Em." Began a tired, pajama-dressed Kitty as she shuffled into the kitchen, rubbing her sleepy eyes and yawning loudly. "Whatcha-" She murmured before she caught sight of Noah and I. "-making." She finished, her voice jumping a few octaves due to the unexpected visitor.

I looked to Kitty with a nervous smile. "Breakfast. Want anything besides bacon, eggs, and pancakes?" I asked slowly while mentally repeating, like a prayer, ' _please don't say anything about the last week, Kit.'_

As though she had become a mind reader, Kitty made no remark about the young man in the kitchen. Instead, she merely answered, "Bacon and pancakes please. You know I don't like eggs." She stated tiredly.

I nodded as I stood from the floor to start prepping the food. "I know that, Kit. Noah, can you pull out the carton of eggs and a pack of bacon?" I asked as I grabbed the cooking spray from one of my hanging cabinets.

"Yes, your highness. Would you like anything else of me while I invade the contents of your refrigerator?" He deadpanned as he opened the fridge, eyes searching the various shelves before his eyes landed onto a particular plastic container. "So this is where you keep the rest of him?" He asked as he pulled out the half empty container of veggie juice.

I rolled my eyes in response. "You better be careful." I started as a large grin broke out onto my face. "Or you might end up a stain on my bed sheets."

"Kinky."

Kitty's eyes went wide from the direction our conversation had taken before she calmly remarked, "I ship it." before leaving the kitchen the way she came into it: half asleep.

THE END.

* * *

Original prompt was from OTP prompts tumbler page:

"Person A always sees Person B in the dorm/apartment building laundry room at night around the same time (like 10 o'clock) and they're always putting their blanket in the dryer. It turns out that Person B doesn't always wash the blanket totally, they just put it in the dryer so it's warm because their roommate keeps the room freezing. Person A feels bad and lets them stay in their room for the night (and maybe other nights too) which leads to fluffier situations like watching movies together. Person C could be either A or B's roommate."

Obviously I only used it for inspiration seeing as I have made changes by adding and not including aspects of the prompt. I am only crediting it because without this there wouldn't have been a story.

(1) Noah's exhaustion is not actually a plot device. He has an entire parallel story occurring within my mind as Emma's story occurs. Emma's side of the story is more dramatic and more emotionally conflicting so I wrote out that one. At this point in time Noah had woken up that morning to do his laundry at 6 am and had stayed up the entirety of the day only to be bribed into going to the party with Owen. Thus, he's exhausted and has been up longer than usual.

(2) I actually spent days stuck on this part. I couldn't find an appropriate classic novel that would fit her better. I had wanted something that wouldn't have been too popular while challenging her intellect and having characters she could relate to. I decided on Pride and Prejudice because I liked the idea of Mr. Darcy being relatable to her as a snarky know-it-all ending up helplessly in love with a head strong girl. I know there are better options out there but I spent three long days looking for one and I admit, I failed.

(3) It is surprisingly difficult to keep track of what time it is when you only mention it every now and then. I ended up keeping a list of what was happening when and having to make up stuff to kill time for in between key instances _and_ I had to keep a mental list of how long each made up thing lasted. I don't write too often and made note of this because with this aspect it consumed a lot of my time.

(4) Emma has shown having issues in the show with falling too hard and moving too fast with boys. I've tried to sprinkle this aspect out throughout the one shot but this section is where it hits the hardest. I'm not trying to shove her and Noah together in the pursuit of true love or anything like that. I was just trying to balance out her rationality with her tendencies. Her character has some fixation issues on boys she likes which Noah seems to share in regards to girls that _he_ likes (i.e. being willing to give up a million dollars so he can have a chance at _dating_ a girl he has a crush on. Super romantic but not very logical). I was trying to accurately portray her behavior when she believes she has been rejected.

And now for all of those who actually read the authors notes a special treat. An alternate universe scene for the library portion:

We made our way up to the described locations, temporarily going our separate ways in search for a good book to read. Noah came to find me a few minutes later with a tome in hand. He passed me the book entitled, "Winston Churchill: A biographical companion" before saying, "He's one of my favorite people."

I tugged the book tight against my chest before I hurriedly re-examined my selection. Of them, one in particular caught my eye. "I remember reading about him years ago. " I said as I reached for my chosen book, a blush forming on my cheeks. "I only remember bits and pieces." I grabbed a well-worn, beaten tome from the bottom shelf, my face growing hotter as I revealed. "I know it's a cliché, but this has always been one of my favorites." Handing him the copy of "Fifty Shades of Grey".

Noah smirked as he responded, wiggling his eyebrows seductively. "Mhhmm. Kinky. Who knew we had similar taste in books?"

* * *

Thank you all so much for reading and feel free, but not pressured, to leave a review to tell me what you thought of it. This is supposed to be a one shot but if enough people ask I may do another one of the following:

The sister story to this one. This story but from Noah's perspective.

Emma meeting Noah's family and vice versa. Please, if you vote for this one summarize in one word how you feel the general vibe Noah's family would exude.

Special shout out to Noire Knightmare for both Beta-ing and inspiring the deleted scene portion.


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